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After travelling around the country this week to collect donations for victims of Hurricane Harvey, TODAY national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen made his way to Houston to bring some smiles to families in need.

As part of this week's "Helping After Harvey" effort, Rossen, who teamed up with the United Way of Greater Houston with the help of Black Tie Moving, collected truckloads of toys, school supplies, cleaning items and non-perishable food.

"I'm a single parent so anything helps,'' she said. "I greatly appreciate it to whoever donated it, so (I) just want to tell them thank you."

Rossen then gave some non-perishable food and supplies to another family in need, followed by a surprise for a 5-year-old girl named Katherine. Her home was ruined by the flooding, but she had a reason to jump with excitement when given a new backpack before her first day of school on Thursday.

The donations also helped brighten a girl's 11th birthday with some presents and provided her mother with some essential supplies.